Leaf House

Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford

LEAF HOUSE

Undercurrent Architects

ARCHITECTS
Undercurrent Architects

PROJECT TEAM
German Perez-Tavio, Didier Ryan

PHOTOGRAPHS
Hugh Rutherford

YEAR
2009

LOCATION
Sydney, Australia

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

Leaf House is building that allows users to be inside and in-the-garden at the same time. It is a self contained cottage forming part of a coastal residence in Sydney; a Pavilion for experiencing Nature.

Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford

The building integrates the environment and reflects qualities of the landscape: its canopy structure blends into the foliage; its podium base shapes the terrain.

The design is characterized by curved copper roof shells resembling fallen leaves and a vine-like structural system channelling dynamic growth inside.

Daylight filters through porous roof shells onto a podium deck and the open plan living areas.

Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford

Views and reflections subtly modulate the surrounding garden through an enclosure of moulded glass.

Private spaces offer introspection inside the sandstone podium buried in the terrain.

Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford

The project entailed design and building roles as methods were improvised to achieve high technical complexity within cost constraints.


Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford


Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford


Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford
Leaf House
© Hugh Rutherford